Meet your customers where they are. It's the golden rule for every business.
In the past, your sole option was to place a physical storefront in front of foot traffic. Now, social platforms serve as digital town squares and your business needs to meet shoppers with an experience that feels native, tailoring your brand’s story for the members of that community.
In that spirit, we're joining forces with Facebook to bring Facebook Shops to Shopify merchants, a new shopping experience that lets you create a customizable storefront on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook Shops: Create a branded store for Facebook and Instagram
Facebook Shops is a simple version of your online store that lives inside the Facebook and Instagram mobile apps. Facebook Shops make it easy for billions of users to find, browse, and buy your products in the apps they use daily to discover new experiences.
You can bring your products to Facebook and Instagram's digital market with a shopping experience that feels native to each platform, on any device. Showcase your distinct brand and products by customizing the colors and layout of your Facebook Shop, and organize product collections into featured tiles to match the look and feel of your Shopify store.
The shopping experience is fast and seamless, so customers can quickly discover the right product on your Facebook Shop and complete checkout on your Shopify store.
And with Shopify's integration, your products, inventory, and back office will stay in perfect sync with your Shopify store, so you can run your business in one place while selling on many sales channels.
There's much more in the works, and a few ways you can get started today.
Getting your business ready for Facebook Shops
Shopify merchants will be among the first to get access to this new channel, so they can quickly offer these new mobile shopping experiences to their customers in these times.
Here's what you can expect: If you already have access to product tags through the Instagram sales channel, Facebook Shops will automatically become available to you in the coming weeks and you will be directly notified. Facebook Shops can be created on Instagram, with a version for Facebook coming soon.
If you haven't set up product tagging on Instagram yet, Facebook Shops will be available to you in the coming months. To prepare your store, you can install Shopify's new Facebook channel today, which will be your new home to power all of your sales and marketing activity across the Facebook family of apps. Once you've synced your products through our Facebook channel, you'll automatically get access once Facebook Shops is available for your account.
There’s two ways to get a jumpstart on this exciting new channel that continues to shape modern commerce, with more updates on the way. Now that every business is an online business, sellers must stay current with where their customers choose to spend their time—today, that means meeting them on Facebook and Instagram.
Have questions about Facebook Shops? Talk to us.
Who can access Facebook Shops today?
If you're already set up and able to use product tags on your Instagram posts, you'll automatically receive access to Facebook Shops soon.
When will Facebook Shops be generally available?
Facebook Shops will roll out to everyone in the next few months. Right now, you can get a head start by setting up the Facebook channel for Shopify. You can sync your existing products through the channel today and customize your Facebook Shop once it's available.
Where can I go to learn more?
Watch Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke's chat with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook Shops and what's in store for this all-new shopping experience. You can also learn more on Facebook.